Free Playing Games by Jill Myles

mean
watching our money for meals for a bit."
    I nodded.
    "I have half of the money from when Tesla and
I got split," he told me. "Six dollars and fifty cents."
    "I have nothing other than what they gave us
for this leg of the race," I said cheerfully. "Brodie sucks with
money." My brother and I had argued over some high priced protein
bars at the general store in Kulusuk, but Brodie had insisted, and
we'd spent every dime. Liam apparently had saved his cash better
than we had.
    "Looks like he's still determined to spend
all of his team's money," Dean pointed out. "They're having a few
beers in the bar. That's gonna cost them."
    I was hungry too, but I'd gladly give up
dinner for a nice bed and a hot shower. I looked at Liam again.
    "I'm in if you are," he told me.
    I could have kissed him - again - in that
moment. “Totally in.”
    "Great," Abby said with excitement. "Dean's
going to get the room." She glanced up at her partner, who leaned
down and kissed her forehead, then headed off to the counter. She
turned back to look at me and Liam. "We don't want the others to
know we're sharing a room or they'll probably crash it and try to
squeeze some pillows or floor space. I'll find out what room we
have, and then I'll take the elevator to the top floor. Wait five
minutes, and then meet me there, and we'll go to the room
together."
    "Sounds good," I told her, and when she stuck
her pinky out, I linked mine through hers.
    It was good to have friends on this race.
     
    ~~ * * * ~~
     
    Fifteen minutes later, I flopped down on one
of the queen beds in the hotel room and groaned with pleasure. "Oh
my god, a mattress. I've died and gone to heaven."
    Next to me, Liam sat on the edge of the bed
and dropped his pack to the ground. He didn't flop backward like I
had, just sat and looked at me.
    Which made me feel weird and selfish, like I
was hogging all of the bed. So I sat up and curled my legs under
me.
    On the other bed, Abby slid her shoes off and
wiggled her feet as Dean sprawled onto the bed behind her. "This
was the best use of money ever. I'm so glad we did this."
    "I'm so glad you invited us," I told her. My
stomach growled, and I winced. I had a protein bar in my bag, but
it wasn't sounding super appetizing at the moment.
    Liam glanced at me again, then turned to Dean
and Abby. "I don't suppose you guys want to go halves on dinner? We
can get a pizza for pretty cheap if we don't mind picking it
up."
    "Pizza sounds great to me," Abby said,
rubbing her stomach. She glanced over at Dean. "Paper rock scissors
for who has to go get it?"
    He laughed and leaned in to kiss Abby. "Tell
you what. I'll get it and you owe me."
    "Mmm, deal," she told him with a teasing
grin.
    Dean got back to his feet and put some money
in his pocket, then glanced at Liam. "You want to come with?"
    "Sure, man. Give the girls a few minutes to
relax without us." He looked over at me again, that hesitant
almost-smile on his face, and then they disappeared. The door shut
a moment later, and silence fell. It was just me and Abby in the
room, basking in the fact that we didn't have to go anywhere for at
least several more hours.
    The silence didn't last long, though. Abby
rolled onto her side on the bed and gazed over at me. "Sooooo,
how's the new partner? What’s it like being paired up with a rock
god?"
    I sat up, crossed my legs, and thought. I
felt like I could trust Abby. It was like having one of my best
friends here on the race with me. And I didn't think she'd dick us
over. "He's…not what I expected."
    "He seems different than your brother," Abby
said bluntly. "And I mean that in a good way. I think you lucked
out."
    I gave her a wry look. "Brodie's my brother,
but yeah, he tends to think of Brodie first and Katy second."
    "Why do you let him get away with that? I'd
have beat him with my backpack if he'd treated me the way he
treated you."
    I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess because he
was honest about what he wanted out of this? He wants a career.